Learning to Fly
by aomineknb
Summary: Daichi offers to teach Aomine how to play volleyball. Sparks ignite, feelings get hurt and hatred turns into something none of them ever thought would happen...
1. Chapter 1

Aomine had had a really shit practice. He had always thought highly of himself, but this practice match had really opened his eyes.

Volleyball was harder than you would think.

He had gotten the position of Middle Blocker, a position that fit him perfectly. Here he could use his height to his advantage fully, so he immediately thought, that this match would be a piece of cake.

However, after only ten minutes he had been benched, after failing to block any balls that came near him.

He simply couldn't guess where the ball would hit.

His teammates weren't any help, though..! They all wanted to play themselves, they didn't think about the other players at all! They needed to get their head in the game. Oh, but the worst of them all... The team captain, Daichi Sawamura.

"Tch," said Aomine, grimacing. The Captain was an arrogant bloke who used his power only to position himself on the court every match. Aomine should have been captain. He, surely, would run the team better than Captain Sawamura ever could.

"Good game, huh?" Aomine nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around, noticing none other than the captain himself, towering over him only because Aomine was sitting.

"Hm," said Aomine and turned back around, taking a sip from his bottle of water. Back in the days, he would've been sweaty and stinky, perhaps considering pouring the cool contents of the bottle over him to decrease the heat emitting from him. This time, he hadn't even gotten sweaty...

Daichi sat down next to him. He smile politely (Aomine thought it looked more like a grimace) and gulped down his water. Small pearls of sweat dripped down his chin.

"What do you want?" Aomine asked and unwillingly added, almost spitting out the word, "Captain."  
Daichi gazed at him. He looked thoughtful. Aomine hated this look, had seen it various time during the match.

"I know it bothers you to sit on the bench," Daichi said softly. "But just you wait. If you train hard enough, then surely you will become a regular player one day."

"One day?" said Aomine harshly, standing up. He towered over the captain. "One day. Yes, one day I _might_ become good enough to be a regular, but what kind of hope is that to cling onto? _One_ day, I _might_. That isn't enough of a guarantee... _captain_." He spat out the last word mockingly. Daichi surely must have known of his thoughts towards his captainship.

Daichi didn't say anything at first. He spun the water bottle around in his hand before standing up. He didn't look Aomine in the eye, rather gazed at a point behind him.

"It isn't just about the individual player, Aomine. Much like a murder of crows, who stay together often until death parts them, we must stay together as a team. We must grow together and learn with each other."

Aomine didn't understand what Daichi was saying, but it pissed him off.

"Let me teach you," offered Daichi suddenly, surprising Aomine immensely. "After all, a crow must learn to fly before he can hunt with the rest of the flock."


	2. Chapter 2

Daichi didn't know what had possessed him to offer the stubborn first year help. Call it Captains intuition, but he knew, could almost _feel_ the unharnessed power inside of him, waiting to be released. He just needed the push out of his nest and Daichi knew, he would soar to great heights.

"You have to _feel_ when the ball is going to be at its highest, you have to know when to hit."

Daichi was throwing balls at Aomine, so he could practice his spiking. But Aomine, despite having the perfect body for volleyball (of course, Daichi meant his height here...), he just couldn't seem to get the hang of it.

"How am I supposed to do this!" complained Aomine, huffing. "I can't feel the ball when it's flying in the air, Captain!"

"You're not into it," scolded Daichi. He could clearly sense Aomines frustration, but it was of the upmost importance that Aomine understood this. Right now, his head wasn't in the game. He was trying to understand the techniques too much and he wasn't happy, he wasn't enjoying it... he was angry. And that was no emotion to play volleyball on. At least not when you weren't even in a match.

'Hm,' thought Daichi to himself. 'He could learn from Hinata...' Daichi shook his head. Hinata would surely fear the giant Aomine, with his height and cruel attitude.

"Let me show you," said Daichi, walking over to Aomine. He grabbed a ball from one of the many on the floor and walked over behind Aomine. He could feel his tenseness.

"You have to relax," said Daichi softly, placing his right hand on his shoulder. The other he placed around his waist, still with the ball in hand.

Aomine tensed, his eyes widening. He hadn't moved enough to be sweaty, but suddenly he could feel sweat springing out on his forehead. His face was suddenly unbearably hot.

Daichi took his right hand and used it to guide Aomines arm up in the air. Then he placed his hand back on his shoulder, pushing slightly down in his knees.

Aomine was now positioned so that Daichi's hot breath blew onto the back of his neck, giving him goosebumps.

Daichi suddenly realized just how close they were and hurriedly stepped back. Aomine released a breath he didn't know, he had been holding.

"Um, well," said Daichi, clearing his throat. "This is the position you would be in, right before spiking the ball." His face suddenly grew to be bright red and he said in a hoarse tone, "I think that's enough for today... Daiki."


	3. Chapter 3

Their training sessions had grown to become a regular thing after practice with the rest of the team.  
The rest of the team didn't know of these sessions, except, perhaps for Daichi's closest friend, Suga, the vice captain.

Aomine thought well of Suga. The vice captain was coolheaded and always knew how to handle the more immature teammates, however... Aomine had one big problem with Sugawara. He thought it was cowardly how he had simply given up his position as setter in exchange for Kageyama, who, while better, also was more inexperienced and younger. If it had been Aomine himself, he would have thought for his place.  
He had grown to... well, he didn't exactly dislike the captain anymore. He realized that, perhaps, he had been a bit harsh on him in the past. But he certainly didn't like him yet.

Aomine contemplated over his relationship with the captain as he walked home late in the afternoon. This nights training session had been... something else.

Aomine had steadily become better at spiking. Now he hit the ball 3 out of ten times, rather than 0 out of ten times. He wasn't really sure if it was because of the extra training sessions or just because he was starting to get the hang of volleyball. Either way, Daichi had praised him, saying that he was steadily improving.

Then... the _accident_ had happened.  
They had been cleaning up the gymnasium. Daichi had been down on the floor while Aomine had offered to go up on the higher level to clean the floors there. Looking back, he supposed it had been stupid to place the bucket on the railing.

"Aomine!" Daichi had called.

"Hmm? What is it?" Aomine had asked, walking over to the rail.

"Be careful with the bucket-" but it was too late. Aomine had accidentally pushed the bucket and it was now falling - falling directly towards Daichi.

Everything seemed to happen so slow. Daichi stood staring up at the falling bucket with wide eyes. Aomine could only watch as it fell. It seemed to take years, and then it was over in a split second.  
The water came first, crashing down on his senpai with crushing force, soaking him completely. Then came the bucket. It feel down over Daichi's head, and he stumbled backwards, the wet floor causing him to slip and fall.

"Shit!" Aomine exclaimed, running downstairs, taking two steps on the stairs at a time. He ran to Daichi, kneeling beside him. "Captain! I'm so sorry, it was entirely my fault!"

Daichi sat up, slowly removing the bucket from his head. He looked dazed as he shook his head, holding up a hand. "Don't mind. You couldn't have known."

Aomine grabbed the bucket and went to move it behind him when... He noticed. Daichi, who had been wearing a white sweater, was of course completely soaked. The shirt clung to his body, hiding nothing as the shirt had gone transparent. He gulped and blushed, quickly looking away.

Daichi didn't seem to have notice anything. He stood up and looked down at himself. He was dripping all over the already wet floor.

"Hm," he said. "Better get a change of clothes before I catch a cold." With that, he grabbed the shirt and pulled it over his head.

Once again, time seemed to move slowly. Aomine couldn't help but to look at Daichi's stomach, his chest, his biceps, all glistening wet. He looked away, ashamed. This was his _Captain_ , after all. What was he even doing? It wasn't as if he... _liked_ Daichi.


	4. Chapter 4

_Meet me in front of the Volleyball Stadium in town. We're trying something different this time._

This was what the message Aomine had received from Daichi this afternoon had said. So here Aomine was, in front of the Stadium, wondering what they were going to do this time.

Would they be playing volleyball in here? Or perhaps getting advice from other players?

"Yo!" Daichi called, jogging over to Aomine with a grin. "I hope I didn't leave you waiting for long."

"No, it's fine," Aomine assured with a shrug. "So... What are we doing this time, Captain?"

"Ah!" said Daichi, grinning. "Come with me and you'll see."

Aomine followed behind his short senpai as they walked inside.

Daichi had taken him to watch a match. He had thought, that this would be the first gust of wind that allowed Aomine to spread his wings and fly.

"You see?" Daichi had said to Aomine who was sucking on the straw of his soda. "They're all working together. Crows have been known to hunt sparrows into buildings - to _stun_ them. However, this only works if they're working together as a group. It's no use trying to play volleyball by yourself. It's no one's _one man show_." He stopped, thoughtful. Then he added, "There might be over 40 different kinds of crows, but they all have one thing in common: they're fearless."

Aomine just nodded and continued watching the match. It was easy to see, that these players were professional. The way they moved was exceptional, almost as if they were flying, and they moved so synchronized, as if they all were a part of a big clockwork. When one gear moved, so did all the others. Aomine was fascinated. He wanted to play himself.

Aomine didn't know, but this was exactly what Daichi had hoped to achieve. In the past, it had been the will to be the best that had driven Aomine. Now, it was his will to play.

"I had hoped that watching those players would inspire you," said Daichi once the match was over and they had made it outside in the cool air. Aomine said nothing, until Daichi raised his eyebrows and he realized, that the captain was expecting an answer.

"Oh! Yes, captain," Aomine said, smiling slyly. "I'm going to play volleyball like them," he said, determined.  
Daichi nodded, smirking. His plan had worked after all. He had to admit, he was proud of Aomine. He was no longer his old selfish self, thinking only of becoming the best. He had evolved, like a snake shedding its old skin. Like a crow, leaving the familiarity of his nest, seeking out the unknown.

"Good. Come with me, then." Aomine nodded, following his captain, asking no questions.

They walked beside each other in the cool night. The sun had set long ago and the only light illuminating them was that of the moon. There was an eerie kind of silence, the only noise coming from car screeches in the distance and the muffled sounds of voices.

Daichi made a turn, walking into a park. He followed a path coated with asphalt, a few trees and benches here and there. Aomine soon figured out where they were heading once he saw the fenced basketball court at the end of the path.

Daichi led his kouhai into the court, fishing out a ball from the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

"Basketball is a lot like volleyball," he said. "At least when it comes to spiking - or dunking. And throwing the ball precisely."

Daichi handed him a basketball.

"I want you to practice throwing. This ball is bigger and heavier than a ball used in volleyball. It'll help you practice precision. Once you know how to throw a basketball, throwing a volleyball will be no problem."  
Aomine nodded, grabbing the ball with both hands. It felt strangely good in his hands...

Suddenly, a voice called out, interrupting the silence of the night.

"Daichi! Daichi-san!" Daichi turned, a big smile spreading on his face as he saw Suga jogging towards them, waving.

"Hey, Suga!" Daichi yelled back, turning away from Aomine. "Just keep throwing, Aomine," he said absentmindedly.

Aomine nodded and began throwing, paying no attention to the two boys... or so he told himself.

"You're teaching Aomine?" Suga asked, somewhat surprised.

Daichi nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, yes. I offered to help him."

"Dai-chan!" gasped Suga surprised. "That's really nice of you!"

"I am the captain, after all," said Daichi, laughing a bit. "I should help the pl- Suga!" gasped Daichi suddenly. The basketball Aomine had been throwing had suddenly taken a detour - and it was heading straight for Suga.

Thinking quickly, Daichi pushed Suga out of the way in the last second. The hard ball smashed into his face and he fell to the ground harshly.

"Dai-chan!" Suga exclaimed, falling to his knees besides him. Aomine ran over himself, apologizing profusely.

"I'm really sorry, senpai, I am! I didn't hit the ball right and-"

"Don't mind," said Suga, smiling politely as he helped Daichi sit up. He was sporting a blue eye and his lip was bleeding. "You're not to blame. Rather, this idiot caused it himself," he said, knocking on Daichi's head softly, "For pushing me aside."

"That's some thanks, Sugawara," chuckled Daichi as Suga placed his arm over his shoulder and they slowly stood up.

"Don't worry, Aomine-kun. I'll take him from here," Suga said, as he helped Daichi out of the court. "You just get home safely."

Aomine stood for a while, watching them until they were completely out of sight, and even long after that.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was a Saturday. Daichi had allowed himself to sleep in, due to his injuries.

He got up, didn't bother changing from his pyjamas, and walked out in the kitchen, deep in thought.

He had been quite disappointed when he had had to go home earlier than intended. What bothered him even more, was how he hadn't gotten to have a proper talk with Aomine before Suga had dragged him off.

Of course, he didn't blame Suga. His best friend had just done what he had out of concern, and yet Daichi found himself wishing, that he hadn't come at all.

He fell into a chair upon realizing what he had just thought. Was it normal to feel this way about... friends? Was it normal that he wished that Suga, his best friend, hadn't come at all, so that he could have had more alone time with Aomine? Perhaps he just really valued his friendship... Or perhaps...

Daichi had a hard time stomaching the thought, but perhaps he really didn't just want friendship with the first year. Perhaps he... wanted something more, like a crow, excitingly, desperately searching for a partner to mate for life with. Wait... for life?

Daichi was pulled out of his thoughts by the sudden sound of his doorbell. He jumped up and yelled,

"Coming!"

He walked over and opened the door.

"Hey..." said Aomine , blushing, and looked anywhere but at Daichi. "So, uh, you forgot your ball yesterday."

"Oh!" said Daichi. "Yes, thank you. Do you want to come inside?" Daichi didn't know what had possessed him to say that, it had just flown out of his mouth. He blushed, cursing himself as the first year hesitated but finally nodded, accepting his invitation.

"Then, this way," Daichi said, leading him to the kitchen. "Would you like some tea? Please sit down."

"Yes, thank you," Aomine said, sitting down in the kitchen. It was quite clean, he noted, only a few dirty dishes soaking in the wash. He wondered if Daichi's room would be the same or if it would be the opposite - dirty.

"Here you are," said Daichi with a smile as he placed a cup of tea in front of Aomine, sitting down himself.

"I hope I didn't wake you, Daichi-senpai?" Aomine asked, eyeing his pyjamas. Upon realizing he was still wearing it, Daichi blushed profusely.

"N-Not at all," he said, however, he quickly regained his cool. "I was up already."

Aomine sipped his tea. As did Daichi. An awkward silence was lowering over them but Daichi would have none of it.

"How do you think you're progressing, Aomine?" he asked.

Aomine placed his cup back on the table and leant back in the chair, quiet for a moment. "I think... I'm getting better."

Daichi nodded. "That much is for sure. You've improved greatly, Aomine!" Aomine blushed, looking down at his tea. "Still, you have a lot to learn," Daichi continued in a stern voice. "Don't think you're anywhere near done yet."

"Of course not, senpai," Aomine said, frowning. He knew that he still had a long way to go and yet, he had also come very far in the short time he had played volleyball. Did the captain really think he was oblivious to his own mistakes? "But soon I'll become a regular."

Daichi just nodded, a serious look remaining - at least, right until his stomach grumbled and he blushed deeply. "O-Oh..!"

"You haven't had breakfast, Daichi-san?"

"Er- I was just about to when you knocked," he explained, running a quick hand through his hair.

"I'll make you something," Aomine offered out of nowhere, standing up and walking to the fridge. Daichi watched baffled as he opened it, bent down and looked inside.

"Uh- that's okay, you really don't have to..."

"No, it's only right since I interrupted your breakfast," he said and then added hesitantly, "and... to apologize for those two times I- got you hit in the face with a bucket and a ball."

Daichi could only guess, since Aomine had now stuck his face inside the fridge, but if Aomine's face had been seeable, he was sure it would have been red all over.

"Don't mind," he assured, chuckling. "Even though I do seem to be followed by unfortunate accidents. Perhaps it's that mirror I broke last week."

Daichi grinned widely when he heard Aomine chuckle.

"So," Aomine said. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Ah," said Daichi, gulping down the last of his tea. "A crow is not picky. It will eat literally anything."

Aomine just nodded, finally sticking his head back out of the fridge, bringing with him eggs and milk.

"Pancakes, then?" he asked nonchalantly. The truth was, that this was the only thing Aomine had ever actually learned how to make, but he wasn't about to reveal his lack of cooking skills to Daichi who nodded hungrily.

The kitchen grew steadily more steamy as Aomine got further and further into his cooking. He ran his palm over his forehead, drying off the small pearls of sweat that had sprung up.

Daichi, upon noticing this, stood up and opened the small kitchen window. He stretched forwards, leaning out of the window to catch a whiff of the fresh air and felt his t-shirt getting pulled up his back. He leant back inside and turned around just in time to catch Aomine quickly looking away.

"Those pancakes were amazing," Daichi groaned and leant back in the chair as he finished the last.

Aomine grinned. "Of course they were. I make the best pancakes."

"So," Daichi said as he stood up, grabbing his dirty plate and utensils. "How did you learn to cook?"

As Daichi started washing up the plates, Aomine answered hesitantly,

"Well, I had this friend once... She would cook for me when I was in junior high and she always made me lunchpacks."

Daichi smiled. "She sounds nice."

"Yeah... only her cooking was so incredibly shit, that I figured I had better learn how to cook myself so I wouldn't end up poisoned one day," he said and then added as an afterthought, "Even a crow wouldn't eat her food."

Daichi let out a laugh. "Perhaps I'll just ask you to cook all of my meals, then." Actually, Daichi was very good at cooking. It was something he had always enjoyed - the process, seeing all the different ingredients getting mixed up and together and finally serving it - getting to sit down and eat the products of his own making. But... Somehow, he thought he would enjoy having Aomine cook him food even more.


End file.
